McINNES WINS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 245, 16 October 1928, Page 13

McINNES WINS.

POINTS VERDICT OVER MONSON

AUSTRALIAN SEEKS A KNOCKOUT.

SCOT'S CLEVER DEFENCE.

Holder of the Australian middleweight title, Ted Monson spent 45 minutes looking for something he could not find in the Town Hall last evening. That "something" was a knockout against Tommy Mclnnes, one of the toughest fighters that has come round this way for many a long month, and because the Australian was still looking for the chance to put his man on the canvas at the clang of the final bell he had again to content himself with the loser's end of the special £200 purse. The Scot won, and won handsomely, and the wellfilled house was well pleased at the verdict.

By his victory last evening Mclnnes registered his third win against Monson. He beat him in Sydney before the Australian punched his way to the title, and he beat him in Auckland three weeks ago, and 'again last night. When the pair first clashed locally the going was very even, and only the Scot's terrier-like tenacity and aggressiveness won him the verdict, but there was no doubt about which way the decision had to go last evening. Half-way through the fight it was evident that the only way the Australian could win was to bring over a sleep-producer but so good was the Scot's defence that he never got a chance. Mclnnes saw to it that he always had a glove or an arm to stop the most vicious of Monson's punches. <* Monson Injures his Right Hand. Monson, who was under his second engagement to the Northern Boxing Association, was unlucky in injuring his right hand before the fight had gone more than four rounds. He said afterwards that he jarred it badly and was unable to make full use of it, and the hand certainly looked swollen. It was unfortunate that the accident should have occurred, for his right' is easily the Australian's best weapon, as Lachie McDonald learned to his cost, Monson knocking the New Zealander out in two rounds. But it would not be fair to Mclnnes to say that Monson lost because he hurt his right hand. It was Mclnnes that did the forcing, and made the fight, and when the Australian did open out Mclnnes met him with stinging counter-attack. Monson's smother tactics were at times clever, but they never looke£ like returning him a winner.

Mclnnes, who is to leave Auckland this week for Australia, where he is to be married, turned the scales at list 2slb, Monson being 3Mb heavier. There was nothing sensational in the opening round. Mclnnes had his man covering up at the start of the second, but Monson cut loose suddenly and the Scot had to keep his wits to block a couple of hard swings to the bead. A left hook to the jaw and a to the short riba earned the Scot points, and then Monson got home with a left hook to the head. In the third Monson caught his man off his balance with a light right, and the Scot went down, but he bounced to his feet before the referee (Mr. R. Meale) started to count. The Australian raised the ire of the house when he got the Scot's head under his right arm, there being loud hooting from the gallery. Across the ring they came in a flurry of fighting, and a tray of sawdust which was not quite clear of the canvas was sent flying. It was a fierce round, and both were breathing hard when they went to their corners. The Scot Caught Napping. Starting the fourth round Mclnnes continued to try to make an open fight of it, but Monson persisted in smothering, although he always had an eye open for a chance to crash his right to the Scot's jaw. During a rally the referee spoke to one of the men, and Mclnnes turned his face. He paid the penalty— a solid right to the head. Mclnnes retaliated by landing two short lefts to the body. When Monson slet go a wicked left swing half-way through the next round Mclnnes ducked, and the Australian's glove whizzed harmlessly over his head. Near the end of the round the Scot fought his man into a corner and pumped a solid right to the solar plexus. In the sixth round Mclnnes clearly showed that he had got his man's measure. Half a dozen times the Scot showed himself an expert in slipping his opponent's punches.

Monson fought better in session eight, but could not put a hard punch on his man. In the ninth Mclnnes piled on points with left and right hooks, and sent his man's head back with a right uppercut. Monson won a round of applause from the house when he offered a helping hand to the Scot, who had slipped to the canvas. Near the bell Mclnnes was only just in time in getting his glove up to stop a hard left swing to the head.

Crouched low and swaying gently from the hips, Monson made the Scot miss early in the tenth, but Mclnnes, who was scoring with his right, drove his man across the ring. After doing nothing for the first minutes in frame eleven, Monson fought wildly, only to be met by a stinging counter-attack. Both scored with short-arm punches, the round ending in a welter of fighting. In the twelfth, Mclnnes jabbed his man four times with his left before the Australian returned a punch, and he scored with a left hook flush to the face at the gong. Left, right, left, thudded Mclnnes' gloves to the Australian's body, and then Monson scored with a left hook to the head. Monson appeared to drag his man across the ring, and there were hoots from the crowd. There was a hectic half-minute mid-way through the fourteenth, with honours even. Mclnnes, whose left eye was now bleeding, scored with his left to the head at the start of the last round, Monson retaliating with a right to the chin. The Scot had only to keep on his feet to win by a good margin, and this he had no trouble in doing, rusliing his man across the ring at the bell. The decision in favour of Mclnnes was the signal for a burst of applause from the house. The Amateurs. One of the best amateur bouts seen in the Town Hall for some time was provided by A. Gifford (12st) and A. Hogg (list 121b). Both fought hard and well all through, and first one and then the other looked likely to score a knockout. It was a coincidence that before the fight had been going a minute both lads were streaming blood from cuts above the right eye. It was a rousing affair all through, with the crowd on their feet and cheering, and a draw proved a popular verdict. Featherweights.—R. Fraei (8.12) beat R. McLachlan (8.13) on points. Light-heavyweight. —P. McCarthny (12st) beat T. Mullins (11.10). Heavyweight.—G. Frear (12.12) beat A. Slade (13.122), the referee stopping, the bout is: the second round.